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I have one, nice gadget, never caught on though...

How about a virtual keyboard (with a small pull-out stand for the tablet)?
virtual-laser-keyboard-hand.jpg
I have one of these, brilliant, unfortunately it never really took hold in the market...:rolleyes:
 
I don't think this is going to be an extra-large sized iPod Touch. I also have trouble seeing it run full OS X Snow Leopard. But I have even more trouble believing Apple is going to have three versions of its OS - 3.5" Touch ("Mobile"), 10" tablet ("Touch"), and standard OS X ("Classic").

I think the trick is we need the iPhone OS to be adjusted a bit where we see a hybrid of the two versions of OS X currently available, but I don't know…

I won't buy a huge iPod Touch. If I'm going to do some serious work, then I grab my MacBook. If not, my iPhone can handle anything that may come up with some competency.

What I think this device needs to be is a device that would make me leave my MacBook at home, and grab this Tablet instead. It doesn't have to do everything my laptop can, but it needs to effectively perform basic tasks. E-mail, web, iTunes, iPhoto, iWork/Google Docs/MS Office. That's the same realm as Netbooks. I'd pay $600-800 for that with a great Touch interface.
 
Will this coincide with Beatles album releases?

I would definitely buy this device. Sounds exciting.

I won't buy a Kindle; I want the Apple e-book reader. Kindle is ugly and another clunky gadget to carry around. I'd much rather consolidate everything on an Apple device.
 
the way I see it, this (if real) would be Apple's take on a netbook. meant for email, web browsing, music, video, but not really as a full on computer. so yeah it would likely run on the iphone os. wifi only for the first run but perhaps once all cell data services aren't locked with ATT they might add a 3g/4g/whatever it is up to for those that want that option



then what do you call what happened the first day of WWDC.

what they aren't doing is Macworld.

Of course a MacTablet will be a computer. It's just not a convention computer. As long as it has a CPU that manipulates data according to a set of instructions its technically a computer.
 
Um... Just like they didn't do that on the iPhone... OH WAIT! :rolleyes:

Seriously. As I pointed out, Amazon does sell the Kindle, but they also sell the books. Does Apple want to start its own eBook service? Do we really need a format war on eBooks? I like the Kindle app and would really like to see Amazon embrace the service on other devices. I mean Sony makes computers and Blu-ray/DVD drives and movies, but they don't keep competitors from playing their movies.
 
I would definitely buy this device. Sounds exciting.

I won't buy a Kindle; I want the Apple e-book reader. Kindle is ugly and another clunky gadget to carry around. I'd much rather consolidate everything on an Apple device.

You have to admit Kindle 2 is far better looking than Kindle 1.
The guy who designed the exterior of Kindle 1 should be chased out of town.
 
A tablet is just what I have been waiting for. I have come VERY close to buying the HP touch screen laptop many times (the one where the screen flips around to make it a tablet) while I get tired of waiting.

My needs are musical in nature. I'd love to have a tablet I can set on my music stand in place of sheet music. Then I could page backward and forward through music with a touch of the screen (or even a USB pedal I have seen) without having pages that are a pain to flip back and forth (and fall on the floor, and get out of order, etc).

In addition it could be used to kick off sounds on a MIDI device to play along with live or to hear how a part should sound. Even if it was only playing it out of local speakers it would be great.

And finally it can serve as a music writing / arranging device away from the studio and desktop. Combined with some headphones to listen or the ability to kick off sounds on the above mentioned MIDI device would be great.

A tablet device would be perfect for this. But my guess is that it would need real OSX to do the above. At least if I wanted to be able to do all the above with current software that exists. I've tried it with a laptop, but it fails on the music stand front badly.

I also though of using a Mac Mini and finding a FLAT monitor that I can place vertically to see a page of music. But this seems like way overkill and is not portable.
 
this is sort of what I've been looking for

Hello,

As an academic, I've been looking for something like this rather than a netbook.

IF, apple can get good voice recognition/dictation then we can do away with much of the keyboard. If it has a touch screen we can do away with the mouse.

I am almost tempted to get a netbook just so that I can do some writing/research away from my desktop; but I've been wanting to stay with Mac OS.

I guess this will also be good for kids in the van, car, plane (how distracting is it going to be beside you....)
 
I think it will run the iPhone/iPod Touch OS to be 100% compatible with all the applications on the iTunes Store. If the motherboard is the same as the next iPod Touch the device could be priced between the high-end iPod Touch and the cheapest MacBook.

As for content, magazine publishers could be interested in this but they would have to offer users something better than what is already available in a web browser, not to mention a cheap price.

It will be interesting to see how the Apple TV fits in all this. It is overdue for an update and I would not be surprised if it comes in September.
 
Anything with less than 150GB of memory is a waste of time. I want it to hold my music, my photos, my documents. I want a wordprocessor. I don't want a flip out keyboard. If I wanted a physical keyboard, I'd get a laptop. I want something ultra portible that'll do almost anything my desktop can do. I can even do without the DVD drive, I'll just rip it.
 
I really have trouble understanding the narrow viewpoints of some of the people here. How can you not see a purpose or a target audience?

Lets start from the beginning;

Children. Currently, there is increasing adoption of portable media players so that parents can keep their kids occupied. How many times have you driven past and SUV and seen the glow of a 7" screen on the back of a car seat? Parents with the money to buy these things will really eat them up for this reason. A dock built into the back of a car seat to hold a 10" touch based media device, with music, games and movies is EXACTLY what a lot of parents want. When you get home, you pull it out of the car easily and dont have too worry about it getting stolen.

Teenagers. Teenagers are the biggest buyers of ipods. They have the delusion that the music they like is somehow an expression of their personality so the music becomes a very important part of their economy. Now an ipod touch is great, but its still a personal media device. What a lot of kids are going to LOVE is a way to turn a music listening experience into a social activity. They already do it now by slitting headphones between two people and sitting there flicking tracks. Now, with the right development, a 10" screen with all of the art and writing of an album means a small group of kids can sit in the playground together and do what we used to do before the ipod. Again, this is a luxury device, and wont be accessible to most kids, however the ones that can afford one of these will consider it a must have for their social standing. It is possible that even kids who normally wouldnt be able to afford it will find a way to make the money. This thing will be so much more meaningful to them then a little ipod.

For the people who say it cant fit in your pocket, again, narrow minded. Kids who use them nearly always have a backpack or handbag with them. Us adults have a car. I have a laptop that i take everywhere, yet somehow I manage even though it doesn't fit in my pocket.

Young Adults for Personal Use: I am going to take a page from my book for this one. I have plenty of money to spend, and buying one of these things, even if up to the cost of a macbook air, would not be a problem for me. Ever since I bought an iPhone and saw the magic of a touch based device, I have wanted an apple tablet built the same way. I have a very powerful set of computers that I use for work and other processor intensive tasks. I dont expect a tablet pc to replace that, that is a stupid thought to begin with. You dont need a core2duo with 4gb of ram in a tablet. You dont need photoshop to run on a tablet. You dont need to be able to calculate to trajectory of a comet on a tablet. If you want to do those things, then use a freaken computer. I want a tablet, so that I can take web browsing, email, entertainment and information away from my desk, without having to take my laptop. A macbookpro is still overkill for needing to check email on the go. I cant be bothered using the iphone for email because the screen is uncomfortable small for me to casually read things on. In a way, this tablet pc will become all of what I need to do on a computer which doesnt require the latest hardware. I used to surf the net on a 200mhz desktop computer, I am sure it will be just as easy on a more powerful tablet, even if it isnt a gazillion gigahertz.

Adults, Work use. This is where it is really exciting for me. I run my own business, and as a result of the nature of my business, i deal with clients directly. It is rude to pull up a laptop infront of someone, even if you really do need to use the computer. It creates a barrier and can ruin the sales process. A tablet however, would sit flat on the desk, and can be used as an additional aid for photo-media content to aid the selling process. Fantastic.

But it doesnt stop there! When I am out, I am always getting phone calls from clients, and often I need to pull up their details. Currently I either have my laptop with me, or I tell them ill call back later. The laptop is really far to big just to retrieve a little bit of information about a client. A 10" tablet would fill this hole perfectly for me. It is always on (if based around the iphone design) and has a big enough screen to be able to read an a4 page sized document without zooming and panning like on the iphone.

But wait, theres more. You also have to look at the recent modular design change of the iphone. Allowing the developers of apps to create their own protocal through the connector at the bottom means the device becomes a "brain" in a larger modular computer system. If the tablet is the same, then it too will become a powerful computing brain which can plug into larger systems and act as an instant user interface. Boat owners will love this, Work places that use machinery will love this (diagnotics), Hell i would even use it on my telescope. I currently have a laptop which plugs into the telescope system and aids in tracking the sky and retrieving photos from the system. The laptop is a pain in the ass, it has to sit on he floor underneith. A 10" tablet would be able to be installed into the tripod.

The uses for such a device are endless. The tablet pc has never been design properly, they have all just been touch screen laptops.

This all assumes of course, that apple really is going to produce a tablet.
 
I'd only find a tablet useful if it were more like a scaled-down MacBook than a scaled-up iPod--or, bascially, a small MacBook with touch and maybe handwriting recognition. But I'm sure Apple knows what they are doing, if, in fact, they are doing this.




HAHA. Could you imagine a 10-inch device with phone capability? Maybe a cellular connection a la Kindle to browse the Web without Wi-Fi, but I think they're definitely right about it not being a cell phone. Could you see it? "Excuse me, my phone is ringing...", as someone pulls a 10-inch device out of their backpack (too big for pockets) and proceeds to hold it up to their face--with TWO HANDS, because that's what you'll need. :p

oh that just made my day, because i TOTALLY can see someone doing it.

all eyes on him as hes struggling to hold a 10 inch touchscreen netbook to his face and have a full conversation...
 
Don't forget the Star Trek LCARS menu system :)

I really hope it does have 3G, then media can be syphoned down at any location...


LCARS... For sure!

3G would be nice but then we'd be locked back into a specific carrier. Unless the issues have already been worked out amongst all pertinent parties.. I happened to be an AT&T subscriber even prior to the iPhone (my one lucky break) but I think a device such as this needs to be more openly available.

I'd even settle for a pairing of the tablet to cellphone bluetooth I'd guess (is that fast enough?) to get its net access for the times when no normal wifi is available.

Either way is fine by me since they will be mostly home gadgets more than walk around town gadgets.

D
 
I think it will run the iPhone/iPod Touch OS to be 100% compatible with all the applications on the iTunes Store.

It will be a hybrid to iPhone OS 3.0 that will support the tablet hardware specifications.

1. Apps not supported for iPhone OS 3.0 (basically OS 2.x) will not work on Tablet OS 3.0.

2. Apps that support iPhone OS 3.0 will work just fine on Tablet OS 3.0
2a. Games will take up the full screen and will be BIGGER.
2b. Apps will have more columns and rows.

3. Games written for Table OS 3.0 will not work for iPhone OS 3.0
4. Apps written for Table OS 3.0 will not work for iPhone OS 3.0
 
I would love it if I could wireless screen share my iMac with this device, so I can access my desktop from bed or somewhere else in the house. If that were possible then I would want one. And of course only if it has OS X.

My skepticism behind this tablet is I just don't see it being worth what Apple will undoubtably sell it at. For screen sharing or watching the occasional films/YouTube video or email/net, then I just don't see it being worth it unless it was your main computer, but then if you don't already have computer then I would guess expensive tech is not really your thing. I think the people who buy this will most likely be those who already have a lot of tech and where it will be more of a novelty gadget.
 
I would definitely buy this device. Sounds exciting.

I won't buy a Kindle; I want the Apple e-book reader. Kindle is ugly and another clunky gadget to carry around. I'd much rather consolidate everything on an Apple device.

The killer feature of the Kindle for me is that it has an eInk display, not an LCD. This is a lot easier on the eyes to read and uses a lot less power--as in, I can go for at least a week without recharging (more without wireless, less with). The only bad things are that it has a low refresh rate and that it is currently available only in black and white (color exists in the laboratory and is really expensive). But, again, I could never read on an LCD for extended periods of time, and I know a lot of other people for whom this also causes eyestrain and other discomfort.

Still, I suppose, if there were a Kindle app for it like there is for the iPhone/iPod touch, it would be useful to do some occasional quick reading.
 
i HOPE it isn't like what this is describing! i would want a scaled down or innovative version of snow leopard on it! if its just a media device, and not a netbook i will definitely be springing for a macbook air!

Wow, that article on your link sounds like my prediction. lolz.
They must have been copying me!!!
 
We could argue for months and months about how this is great or gimmicky, practical or impractical, or whatever!

I, for one, have faith in apple. I truly believe they can deliver something which makes all the critics say "OOOH... THAT'S what I can use it for... well played apple :) " but... in spite of all that, I don't see how apple expects ppl to be able to type on it!

Sure, great media pad. With apps, music, movies, blah blah blah. But the only thing that I can't imagine even APPLE getting to work correctly... is typing. A touch screen keyboard seems absolutely horrendous to me! I would much rather type on an iphone keypad than on tablet. Can you imagine having to "hover" your fingers over all the keys and touching them with no tactile feedback? I mean if it comes with a wireless keyboard then great, but that seems to take a lot away from it.

one thing i think they could do which would be AMAZING, is the ability to hook up an ipod touch/iphone to the tablet via usb or bluetooth and use the keyboard on that!
 
I can imagine some really cool musical uses for a touch screen device. Touch screen controlled softsynths and such.
 
if this could run mac OSX in its entirety, I'd be interested. If it's some trimmed up OS like on the iphone, i rather have the iphone.
 
Okay.... lets just for a moment pretend this device is indeed real... What potential markets could it disrupt?

- Home Automation pops out almost immediately since I've be a HA geek for years... Yea you can do HA on the iPhone and make it look pretty good but the screen is too small for anyone to really enjoy using it for any length of time (cept for the diehard geeks).

- Whole house auto (video, dvd etc) playback and control... come on we're talking about the ULTIMATE movie/music library browser!

- High end programmable remote controls... Can you say "bye bye Pronto" this would kill pretty much the entire pronto product line ZAP!

Take the TSU9800 the freakin thing is over $900 and it only has a 6" screen (6.4?).

Anyway they'd be history if the Apple Tablet came with IR and freanin A it should dammit! (knowing Apple, it won't).

So a device such as this with this extra screen real estate and the GUI goodness that only Apple can bring... what other markets will potentially (or severely) feel the pinch?

- Home Automation
- Whole House AV
- eBooks (sorry Amazon)

Anyone?

Dave
 
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Just thinking...

Remember back Winter-Spring time frame.... A phone company (iirc) was showing off a new device to be used in the home... it was a neat concept but not fully baked after really analyzing it - software to limited and didn't seem to indicate any future software additions.

Man I just can't remember the device...

But in the commercial it showed a girl looking for a dress for a dance/prom and used her cell phone camera to send her mom the picture (mom hated it) and mom turned around (using this device) and search for a more appropriate dress and even sent her directions to the store that was selling it.

Something like that...

It was a phone-email-web type device...

Then the commercials just stopped airing (tho I've also not been watching to much out side of Science Channel, History Channel, TLC, History Int. and a select few others..

Probably no connection at all.. but you know us rumor / conspiracy fans we always try to see something when there's actually nothing... :)

Dave
 
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